S
scott715We have kind of talked about it in other threads. Here is someone else's thoughts.
https://www.cougarboard.com/board/message.html?id=19535868
I like the WCC. I respect the schools, they are located in great areas, and the religious mission of the schools really helps. But, we also have to deal with modern reality, and the modern reality is that you have to go big or go home. If the WCC plans to be a living athletic conference, it needs to move to 16 teams in basketball. It would provide more depth, more interest, more network effects, and more bids.
Here are some strategy moves to make the WCC more of a power.
1- Keep Gonzaga happy. This is the main point to being a nationally relevant conference. If we lose the Zags, nothing else really matters from a national standpoint. Unequal revenue sharing and conference tournament bye's are a tiny price to pay.
2. Add Grand Canyon. They are growing. They are in a great market for TV, BYU fans, and rich alumni. Further, it would make the Pac-12 red-hot angry. They are private, so they won't upset the academic cart too much. They are finished with their probation for switching divisions, and getting into a better conference would help cement them and us. They were ranked around #120 this year, and will probably reach the 90s next year making them the critical "4th team."
3. Don't add Denver - yet. Last couple of years, they have been bad at basketball. Let them get good before adding them, as they have a good TV market with many BYU fans and rich alumni. If they show signs of life, they would be a much better add than nearby schools Colorado St, Wyoming, or AFA.
4. Look at the Midwest privates. St. Louis, Bradly, Valpo, and now Loyola Chicago is showing life. Pay their exit fees and do what it takes to get them. Half the battle is weakening other conferences, and this would help in that regard.
5. Engineer the MWC to AAC football transfer. Boise St. goes to the AAC for football only, while other sports go to the WCC. Same with 1-3 other MWC teams. As a healthy side benefit, it pretty much destroys the value of the MWC. However, that is only likely to happen if we first strengthen the conference.
6. Add BYU-I. Just give it 5-10 years, and as church leadership changes, so will the position on sports at BYU-I. Unfortunately, we don't have that long to wait. But, adding another large private school would be good for the conference.
If the WCC does not grow and Gonzaga bolts, there is another option:
"Best of the West" conference. St. Mary's, New Mexico St., Grand Canyon, Denver, a couple of Big West schools, UTEP, and the best of the WCC. Also, it could collect various other teams in Texas, as well as the South Dakota/South Dakota St. combo. It would enable the removal of bottom-feeders that are the plague of conference averages. It would also be established as a significant force in western basketball, leaving behind any school left out. It would certainly be a more well-ranked conference than the MWC.
I like the WCC. I respect the schools, they are located in great areas, and the religious mission of the schools really helps. But, we also have to deal with modern reality, and the modern reality is that you have to go big or go home. If the WCC plans to be a living athletic conference, it needs to move to 16 teams in basketball. It would provide more depth, more interest, more network effects, and more bids.
Here are some strategy moves to make the WCC more of a power.
1- Keep Gonzaga happy. This is the main point to being a nationally relevant conference. If we lose the Zags, nothing else really matters from a national standpoint. Unequal revenue sharing and conference tournament bye's are a tiny price to pay.
2. Add Grand Canyon. They are growing. They are in a great market for TV, BYU fans, and rich alumni. Further, it would make the Pac-12 red-hot angry. They are private, so they won't upset the academic cart too much. They are finished with their probation for switching divisions, and getting into a better conference would help cement them and us. They were ranked around #120 this year, and will probably reach the 90s next year making them the critical "4th team."
3. Don't add Denver - yet. Last couple of years, they have been bad at basketball. Let them get good before adding them, as they have a good TV market with many BYU fans and rich alumni. If they show signs of life, they would be a much better add than nearby schools Colorado St, Wyoming, or AFA.
4. Look at the Midwest privates. St. Louis, Bradly, Valpo, and now Loyola Chicago is showing life. Pay their exit fees and do what it takes to get them. Half the battle is weakening other conferences, and this would help in that regard.
5. Engineer the MWC to AAC football transfer. Boise St. goes to the AAC for football only, while other sports go to the WCC. Same with 1-3 other MWC teams. As a healthy side benefit, it pretty much destroys the value of the MWC. However, that is only likely to happen if we first strengthen the conference.
6. Add BYU-I. Just give it 5-10 years, and as church leadership changes, so will the position on sports at BYU-I. Unfortunately, we don't have that long to wait. But, adding another large private school would be good for the conference.
If the WCC does not grow and Gonzaga bolts, there is another option:
"Best of the West" conference. St. Mary's, New Mexico St., Grand Canyon, Denver, a couple of Big West schools, UTEP, and the best of the WCC. Also, it could collect various other teams in Texas, as well as the South Dakota/South Dakota St. combo. It would enable the removal of bottom-feeders that are the plague of conference averages. It would also be established as a significant force in western basketball, leaving behind any school left out. It would certainly be a more well-ranked conference than the MWC.